Powerhouse Museum relocation will position Western Sydney as a centre for the arts

Release Date: 11/04/2016

The Sydney Business Chamber says the New South Wales Government’s decision to relocate the Powerhouse Museum to the banks of the Parramatta River will ensure one of the nation’s great cultural assets is more accessible to all Australians and help position the region as a centre for the arts.

“The Powerhouse Museum’s relocation to the Parramatta River site is really the first step in putting Western Sydney on the map as a major cultural hub,” said Western Sydney Director of the Sydney Business Chamber, David Borger.

“With its close proximity to public transport and the heart of the Parramatta CBD, the relocation of the Powerhouse Museum to the banks of the Parramatta River will make one of Australia’s great cultural assets more accessible to Sydneysiders, while also taking advantage of the boom in domestic and overseas visitors to Western Sydney.

“A significant new arts building on the banks of the Parramatta River, 40 per cent bigger than the museum’s current Ultimo site, will provide a new identity for the city in the same way that the Sydney Opera House has for Sydney.

“This is the first time that a tier one cultural institution will be located in Western Sydney and shows the New South Wales Government is listening to the community on the need to invest in Western Sydney’s cultural arts economy.

“Last year the Sydney Business Chamber and the Councils of Parramatta, Penrith and Liverpool commissioned a report which clearly showed that government spending on cultural arts had not kept pace with population growth in Western Sydney.

“Our report showed that about 1 per cent of national funding and 5 per cent of NSW government arts funding was spent in Western Sydney, despite the fact the region comprises almost a third of the NSW population.

“There are many international examples where governments have successfully used investment in cultural arts to grow successful and resilient local economies.

“Relocating the Powerhouse Museum to the banks of the Parramatta River will boost cultural arts in Western Sydney to the benefit of the broader community and the state’s visitor economy,” Mr Borger said.